A battle for the soul of the right is coming…
To win we will need those who understand duty and sacrifice, who fight for others, not for themselves or for recognition, true radicals, the smart and the very brave…
That is the story of my appointments to the House of Lords today.
When I stood for the leadership of our party, I said that I would actively champion and defend our values and beliefs. But I cannot do this alone. 121 MPs can’t do this alone either. We need as many authentic Conservatives as we can, not just in the legislature but in much of public life which has ossified into bland managerialism. We need people who are not afraid. People who understand not just that the system is broken, but why it is broken.
Whether or not you agree with the hereditary principle, the Labour government’s removal of hereditary peers is only about removing even more conservatives from the Lords. We all know this is not in the top 100 things wrong with our country. Labour have always been more ruthless in pursuing their ideological aims where we sometimes allowed pragmatism, and a desire to please everyone, to hinder delivering conservatism. That must change and these appointments are only the first step.
My first list of appointments to the Lords are people who operate from first principles – Conservative principles. They have a track record of defending conservatism against the long march of the left in our institutions. In particular, they have helped other Conservatives in need with little fanfare or publicity and put the hard graft in difficult and thankless jobs for no credit. They are proven leaders who don’t carp on the sidelines but get stuff done.
Toby Young is at the frontline of defending free speech and free expression in the UK. Following his own personal experience of cancel culture. He has painstakingly built up the Free Speech Union into an advocacy and advisory organisation which has fought 3,000 cases and attracted 24,000 members. His organisation has been a crucial source of support for those whose lives have been disrupted or destroyed for unfashionable but completely lawful views.
Joanne Cash’s steadfast commitment to free expression has been constant throughout her career. She practised as a media barrister. Her ongoing role serving on the board of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has overlapped with many brave interventions from the regulator in areas where left-wing thought had taken a stranglehold not just in Whitehall but across public life.
Another free speech champion joining the Lords is Nigel Biggar. He led the academic freedom group that inspired the founding of the Free Speech Union and informed what became the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 – which Labour have shamelessly paused. He has dared to speak the truth that our colonial history was not all bad and survived the attempt to end his career after his colleagues at Oxford University turned on him over his “Ethics and Empire” project. His scholarship is all about addressing searching moral questions and he will bring a sophisticated critique to laws before the House.
Those who have served in parliament and local government often spot and help to resolve political problems embedded in legislation.
That’s why I have also chosen two former ministers, senior women with experience of government, to join the Conservative benches and a former Deputy Mayor of London. Thérèse Coffey has served as a Secretary of State for four years, as a government minister continuously for over nine years. Rachel Maclean, was a minister across four departments. Unlike the career politicians common to the Labour benches, she brought her extensive business experience before politics into her ministerial roles. Both have made their mark and will be an asset to the Upper House.
As will former Chair of the London Assembly, Roger Evans, who brings a wealth of experience from his time in City Hall and will help colleagues dissect Labour’s plans for local government. They are long standing Conservatives who came up through the grassroots, understand our party and what will be required to get us through this difficult period of opposition.
I said throughout my leadership campaign that rebuilding our party would be a team effort. I am delighted that we have six committed Conservatives joining Parliament who will be a formidable force in taking the fight to Labour and working alongside our existing strong group of 271 Conservative peers – led by my friend Lord True.